Scott Erickson finally stepped into view, and the timing was not subtle. Two years after staying out of sight during Rebecca Grossman’s criminal trial, the former MLB pitcher appeared in a Van Nuys courtroom as jury selection began in the civil case tied to the deaths of Mark and Jacob Iskander. The setting was crowded, procedural, and tense, with multiple legal teams circling the same central question: who bears responsibility for the crash that killed the two boys in September 2020.
Erickson Reappears as Civil Trial Begins
Erickson’s presence alone marked a shift. During the criminal proceedings that ended with Grossman receiving a 15-year-to-life sentence, he was largely absent from public scrutiny. Now, facing a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the boys’ parents, he is no longer peripheral. In newly filed court documents, Erickson draws a firm line, denying that he was racing or impaired, and placing the cause of the crash squarely on Grossman. The language is direct: she, not him, was the “negligent cause.”
Blame Splits Former Allies
That position fractures what had once been a private relationship, now pulled into open court. Their past, described through affectionate messages and a shared afternoon that allegedly included alcohol, has become evidentiary material. Grossman’s criminal defense previously leaned on the claim that Erickson was racing her, a claim that helped shape public understanding of the incident. In the civil arena, Erickson’s legal team is dismantling that narrative piece by piece.
Attorneys for the Iskander family are not narrowing their focus. They are pursuing both defendants, seeking damages described in court as “tens and tens and tens of millions.” Their filings outline a broader strategy, one that includes financial scrutiny. A judge has already intervened to block potential asset transfers by the Grossmans after recorded jail calls suggested efforts to shield wealth, including discussions about property and cryptocurrency holdings.
Legal Fight Expands Beyond the Crash
Inside the courtroom, each side is laying groundwork before a jury is even seated. Grossman’s attorney has described the crash as a “tragic, horrible accident,” pointing to visibility and roadway conditions. Erickson’s lawyer counters with a more pointed account: her client drove through the crosswalk ahead of Grossman, saw the boys, and did not hit them. Grossman, she argues, did.
The case now moves forward with a long witness list and a wide evidentiary net, including raw footage from a Dr. Phil interview involving Grossman’s husband. What was once a criminal verdict is now being re-litigated through a different lens, one focused not on guilt or innocence, but on liability, money, and competing versions of the same irreversible moment.
